Ghost in the Machine
by Mighty Crouton
Summary: A series of short stories.
1. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

** GHOST IN THE MACHINE **  


Ghost in the Machine is a series of a short stories pertaining to Ghost in the Shell. Each story is influenced by The Police's album "_The Ghost in the Machine_". I hope you enjoy :)

**Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic**

_I resolve to call her up a thousand times a day  
And ask her if she'll marry me in some old fashioned way  
But my silent fears have gripped me  
Long before I reach the phone  
Long before my tongue has tripped me  
Must I always be alone?_

**Batou x Motoko, Ishikawa; Stand Alone Complex**

The first two weeks were the hardest.

He didn't realize how difficult it was to dial a simple seven digit number. Not to say he couldn't simply communicate with her via the net or through their personal link, but (call him old fashioned) this was a moment that begged for the telephone.

They were impractical, bulky, and useless. Sometimes Batou wondered if the only reason why people still held on to such outdated devices was to maintain a link with the past. For the most part, it was a pointless link. Especially if the phone was a touchtoned thing, black and wired into the wall.

Frowning, he always picked up the receiver and punched in the first four numbers before his nerves got the best of him and he turned it off.

"So... are you going to tell me what it is about her that you like so much?"

The voice was a breath away from mirth, inclined more into a tone of humor. Ishikawa trotted into the flat with a pair of plaid sleeping bottoms, the pale flesh of his soft belly and chest visible in his lazy state. In his hand was an unopen beer, of which he offered to the larger man.

Snorting, Batou took the chilled alcohol into his hands and firmly twisted off the metal cap. "Can't say." Actually, he could say, but he didn't like to vocally admit his feelings. He had already listed lines upon lines of what attracted him to the Major. She was brilliant, a hardass, no nonsense, serious, but at the same time expressed a softer side. Those rare moments were worth all the amazon tactics she tagged to her persona. Batou saw a side of that in the war, and he wanted to see more of it.

Ishikawa sniffed, rubbing his beard between his thumb and index finger before settling on the couch beside his roomate. "First two weeks away from the military, and you already want to go back."

"Not really..." Batou murmured into the mouth of his beer before taking a swig. He hated the taste, really. The liquid was bitter and left an awful flavor in his mouth, but the artificial sensations produced by his prosthetic taste organs grounded him and made him feel more... "I felt human out there."

At that, Ishikawa was quiet. Tapping a finger into the bridge between his knuckles, eyes searching the cluttered ground. "... Does she make you feel more human?"

Batou offered silence in reply, lips closed around the cool glass of his beer as his ears rung with Ishikawa's sigh.

"Are you going to sit there all day and mope or are you going to get your ass up and call her?" His friend started, head nudging towards the phone, "You've got nothing to lose, except maybe your pride."

"Fine." Batou growled, slamming the drink onto the table and forcing himself to trot right back to that damned black telephoned sealed against the wall. He could feel his nerves prick at the back of his neck as he collected the receiver, thick finger picking at the porcelain touchtone numbers. Five thousand moments swept him away as the phone purred. Batou recalled the smell of the jungle as he removed his coat to cover the Major, wounded and drained from combat. Or sharing calorie mates under the rain while reminding her of crude stories from home. He didn't have to do a damn thing to impress her, and rarely acted out of character. When around her, he managed to reconnect with that part of himself he thought he lost under years of physical alterations. It was, for the most part, a comfort.

"...Hello?"

Batou was taken back by the sound of a high-pitched female voice. If he had eyes, he'd blink. Instead, he raised the ridge of his brow high and mighty as his voice came through the receiver. "... Yes, is this Motoko Kusanagi's residence?"

"...Yes... One moment..." There was the sound of a little shuffling, and Batou strained to hear the quiet noises in the background.  
"Who is it?" The major asked.  
"Some guy. Hey, you aren't turning straight on me are you...?"

Batou practically gagged on his own tongue, the nerves replaced with something a bit more crazed. Male instincts honed by thousands of years of society and culture that told Batou he should be positively excited about the object of his affections being Lesbian were battling for dominance against his common sense. He stared at Ishikawa who, for the most part, looked fairly entertained despite being blind to the conversation on the other line.

"A man? Hnn... Tell him to call later. Get back in bed, Ang. We aren't done yet."

There was high pitch giggling followed by the shuffling of a phone as the strange woman squeeked into the receiver, "Sorry, Motoko's not here. Uhmm... Call back later." "Wai-" "Ok?" "Just a minute no-" "Bye!" "What th..."

The sound of cut reception buzzed in Batou's right ear. He glared at Ishikawa before words managed to take form, "... You knew."

"Uh huh."  
"How long?"  
"Wasn't it obvious the day you met her?"

"..." All those conversations about days back at home. Sitting on boulders laughing about specific actresses, sharing constructive criticism on what makes a woman ideal physically, agreeing that female android sex objects were a disgusting mark on society, the open comments on bodily functions, and the femme fatale endeavors... "... Not really."

Ishikawa sighed, rubbing his temple, "Listen, just... stop there and don't. Don't chase her, Batou. You'll only get hurt."

Mind you, at that moment he would've loved to just take the advice of his friend and walk away a happy bachelor without a mind for a specific woman. And he was just about to agree when...

_You know, calling is such a terrible thing, Batou. Phones are so outdated._

_Major?  
And if you are so adament about using phones, then at least choose to use them at a decent time. Not at 3AM in the morning.  
Alright...  
Batou?  
Yeah?  
Get some sleep. I'll call you tomorrow.  
... Right._

"Batou are you listening to me?" Ishikawa grunted, raising a bushy brow above his eye, face plastered with curiousity.

_Hey Major?  
What?  
Don't disturb the neighbo-_

Before Batou could formulate the last sentence, he could feel the back of his head buzz as a shock was sent via the network, traced from the Major's location. All he could do was smile dumbly as his discouraged roomate rolled his eyes and flopped back on the couch, the smell of smoke whisping the air, "... You are hopeless."


	2. Rehumanize Yourself

**Rehumanize Yourself**

_I work all day at the factory  
I'm building a machine that's not for me  
There must be a reason that I can't see  
You've got to humanise yourself_

**Batou x Motoko**

He was a tall, big boned man a few inches above six foot framed at 150 lbs. A typical Japanese man with messy black hair and dark sculpted features. His height and built hinted of his European ancestry, as did the sharp eye color contrasting his hair and face. Both hands were pocketted into a loose pair of denim slacks, white tank peeking under the heavy leather coat. He watched the woman opposite of him, offering a mischievious smile.

"So, Major… It seems you were a redhead at one point."

"Tea-colored, thank you. Purple isn't a genetic trait." The woman smirked, hand at her hip as she regarded the other man, "Blue eyes aren't becoming of you, Batou."

He only shrugged, leather crinkling as his shoulders raised, "Can't control what you are born with."

"It's funny…" Motoko began, tracking through a hallway fabricated by wires and nerons, Batou following her with his eyes, "How the net can be so deceptive yet reveal the truth under layers of prosthetics and alterations."

He could only smile, "Don't tell Ishikawa."

Major stopped at that, digesting his words. Then, she returned to her steady trail, heels clicking into the glassed floors, "What is there to tell?"

Batou shook his head and followed after her. Even on the net, he was satisfied trailing behind.


	3. Invisible Sun

**Invisible Sun**

_I don't want to spend the rest of my life  
Looking at the barrel of an Armalite  
I don't want to spend the rest of my days  
Keeping out of trouble like the soldiers say  
I don't want to spend my time in hell  
Looking at the walls of a prison cell  
I don't ever want to play the part  
Of a statistic on a government chart_

**Batou x (It's a surprise); Stand Alone Complex**

_"Are you sure you want to do this?"  
"Yeah."  
"... Are you su-"  
"If you had the chance, you'd do it too. Now stop asking the same question and get on with it."_

While he loved the damned dog, there were times where he really wished with all his heart Gabriel would just accept dry dog food and be done with it. Though, chances were even if God would be so kind as to broaden the Basset Hound's tastes, Batou would've stuck with the expensive brand of choice. She was a special dog that required a special brand for optimal health.  
Yeah... Yeah that was it...  
Batou kept convincing himself that was why despite how hard the truth nagged him in the back of his mind. Five years passing, he really missed the Tachikomas. It was the reason he bought a dog in the first place, to take care of something that had needs and expectations.  
A long time ago he even gave his Tachikoma a name.  
It was almost cheesy that he should denote that same name to the Basset Hound waiting hungrily at his apartment. Boots thumped as he turned the corner with this musing and trekked into the store.

_"Wait... Before it all goes. I've a question."  
"... Yeah?"  
"I know you aren't Japanese. If you are, you're a pretty lousy one. A bit too outspoken and kind of brash."  
"Heh. Yeah. You caught me red-handed."  
"So... Out of dumb curiousity, what is your nationality?"  
"Say my name outloud and this time don't mispronounce it like you always do."  
"... Ah."_

There was a smile of mirth as he picked up a good five or so boxes of the dog food brand in question. Well stocked and prepared, so they say. Gabriel really was a hassle. Togusa admired the dog and was welcome to take care of the thing while Batou was on a sick leave, and most of the Section 9 members teased the older man's affection for the animal. Motoko especially enjoyed grilling him from time to time, though did admit on one rare occassion that Gabriel was indeed 'rather cute'.  
After that, Batou couldn't stop stupidly grinning for days.  
"Hey there!" A warm, gruff voice hummed near the cashier. Batou turned a head thoughtfully, regarding an older gentleman with his head stuck in a computer terminal, waving thoughtfully while peering out just slightly.  
"Hey... Can you hand me that wire there...? Can't seem to reach it."

_"It's still hard to believe you're in love, old man."  
"Yeah. She's... amazing."  
"I believe you."  
"I don't want her to get hurt. I'm not willing to risk my family's life for this line of work. We've gotten into too many riffs, too many close calls to death. I can't risk it. Not now.."  
"So... She really is pregnant."  
"... Yeah."  
"... Did you find out the gender of your baby?"  
"Yeah. It's going to be a boy."  
"Really? Did you decide on any names?  
"As a matter of fact, I did. Unfortunately, it seems I have a tendency to mispronounce it."_

Batou raised a single brow ridge as he collected the wire by his feet, extending it to the man hiding inside a terminal. He could see a brown bush of hair, though any other features remained undertermined and to the imagination.  
The man in question only peered out, taking notice of the several boxes delicately balanced in Batou's arms.  
"You know. Your dog could get sick on that stuff..." He gruffed, tinkering away at that terminal. "You should give it dry food. It's good for nutritional balance."  
At that moment, the cybernetic man could do nothing but look down at his feet. The repairman pulled himself out and looked up at Batou with warm brown eyes, raising a hand for him to firmly collect and shake. It was evident that while he may have been Japanese, he obviously prefered the Western custom of greeting. "Thank you very much."  
Batou could do little but look down at that hand and grimace slightly.

_"I just... There are other ways, you know. You don't have to wipe your memory."  
"No. I do. It is the only way."  
"But..."  
"Listen. Consider this my final act for Section 9. I created our defense barriers with my own two hands. My mind is chock full of confidentiality agreements, I'm surprised I haven't been brainhacked yet by some low key terrorist group out for revenge. By any means, this is the only way. To assure your safety, to assure this section's safety, and to assure the safety of my family."  
"... Fine."_

"What? Don't like to shake hands?"  
Batou frowned as the silence strangled the moment. Instead, he turned and firmly ignored the man, going back to his purchases. The cry of a child broke the silence, and a young boy barely three years old ran through the slick floors of the small convenient store. Big brown eyes and chocolate hair, dimples and smiles. He giggled and leapt into the arms of the repairman who shared his eye color, hair color, and warm smile.  
"Why, Bateau... What are you doing here?" He announced happily, raising the boy a few heads higher than himself  
"Ma... Mama!" The child shrilled  
A woman stepped out from the door, wearing a simple dress and a simple smile. She approached the man and his son, kneeling down with a small brown paperbag and a chilled beer. "Hello Ishikawa. I thought I'd bring you some lunch."

_"Are you sure you want to do this?"  
"... I thought I to-"  
"No. I mean. Name your kid after me. French names aren't very popular."  
"... I think Bateau is a wonderful name, big guy."_

Batou rounded the corner with five boxes of dog food and a mess of memories chattering behind him. He found himself a good life. He was happy. Maybe that's why he couldn't stop smiling as he left the store.

_"Ishikawa?"  
"Yeah."  
"Are you sure...?"  
"... Let's get this over with."_

**Author's Notes:**  
Whose to say Batou isn't Half French Half Japanese? ;)This was a sad fic to write. But at least it's a depart from Batou x Motoko. I love Ishikawa. I really wanted to write a fic on him, something a little angsty, a little bittersweet, and a little pleasant.  
Naming his kid after Batou was just a sweet touch.  
Please R&R. I love hearing criticism and praise! Really I do!


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